The Greek verb translated “to sin” means to miss the mark. Sin is any act or any intention to withdraw from God’s will or from his laws. The Bible states that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and that only the sacrifice of Christ can restore the broken relationship with God.
A mark set from creation
You can only miss a mark if a mark has been set. From creation, God makes a covenant with man and gives him a limit (Genesis 2:15-17). In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve disobey. Their first reflex is to hide from God (Genesis 3:8), and then to blame each other. The consequences follow one after another: shame and fear, suffering, the curse on the ground, physical death, and above all spiritual death, the break with God.
There is nothing shocking about speaking of God’s law: “So the law is holy” (Romans 7:12). No longer being under the law means that we are not saved by perfect obedience, which no one is capable of, but by grace. This does not exempt us from obeying.
Why everyone sins
Adam and Eve’s sin was a personal choice. We, for our part, inherit a sinful nature that drives us to sin (Romans 5:12-19). Parents see this for themselves: there is no need to teach a child evil, but they do have to be taught good.
God is not the author of sin. He tempts no one: “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). God created us free, able to choose good or evil. Would we be anything other than slaves if we had no choice? He knew that we would sin, and yet he created us free, out of love.
The remedy
“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). In the Old Testament, the sinner laid his hand on the head of the animal being sacrificed (Leviticus 1:4), which took his place: this is atonement by substitution. These sacrifices had to be repeated again and again. They prepared the way for that of Christ, offered once for all: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). This forgiveness is received through faith and repentance, and if to sin is to miss the mark, holiness consists in reaching the mark that God has set.